All that remains of my buildings is a few piles of ash and rubble. A couple of walls still stand, along with their metal support beams, and imprints of chairs and pictures cast even darker shadows on the bare brick. But besides a few remaining, recognizable reminders, everything else has melted or vanished.
When we arrived a few hours ago, the fire department were already there. They called it a two-alarm and seemed rather unconcerned, like all my shit burning down was nothing to them. I kind of lost my head for a second, so Detective Joey waved the chief away, realizing he was only angering me by downplaying the destruction. Everyone was treating me with kid gloves as they watched me boil with white-hot rage.
First, Riley took my best friend, my right hand. Now Riley destroyed a building that I put my heart and soul in. It was a place where I made dreams come true for the two girls in my life. It gave my guys a steady income when they were ready to get out of the game or move on to a “real” career. It was proof that I was more than just this dark souled rider who cared more about territory than life and brotherhood. And now it was gone, smoking around me as if it never existed to begin with.
“You got insurance on this place?” Detective Joey asks me as he tries to look anywhere but my eyes. “You could get plenty of cash on a fire like this. It may not come soon given that they’re going to rule it as suspicious, but you’ll get a payout four times the cost to build or buy it, that’s for sure.”
I turn my head towards him, looking down at the growing bald spot on his head and the round tummy jutting out past his belt. When we met years ago, he was much more than that stereotypical po-po. Now he’s a joke, a waste of man drifting away in a crooked career under my payroll. Even with everything spinning out of control around me, I can’t help but pity the bastard.
“I couldn’t give a fuck about the money, Detective. All I care about is finding the fucker who did this to me so I can make damn well sure he gets the justice he deserves.” I again look above Joey’s head and towards Anna. She’s standing by her building staring blankly at the place where her office used to be. The fire detectives walked around in large rubber boots, stepping on remains of her drawings and sketches from past and future tattoos.
Anna and I haven’t said a word since we got here. Now I wonder if we are going to go back to how we were last week when she wouldn’t be in the same room with me, let alone touch me. Losing what we had back on my motorcycle feels more like a violation than my buildings being burnt.
“Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about, Mack. Are you wanting to give a statement, you know… like a real one?” He rubs those chubby fingers along the back of his spotted neck. He knows that I would never agree to this in most circumstances. Even bringing it up both questions my judgement and jurisdiction on motorcycle club type justice.
He practically loses himself when I answer, “Yeah. I do. Do I need to come into the station or can we do it here? I’d rather stay around here until the rest of my guys return, if possible.” After the attack at Riley’s clubhouse, I know that finding him a second time won’t be as easy. If I can get the help of my police contacts, I can still take care of him myself when they get word of his location. I’m not too proud to ask for help with this.
Detective Joey spins away as he puts a call into the radio strapped to his shoulder. I take the opportunity to walk over towards Kimmy. She looks more distraught that anyone else, but I wouldn’t blame her. This second restaurant was her baby. When I offered this space up to her, she had practically leapt into my arms in joy. I had never seen her so happy as the day I finally gave her the key. And I have never seen her as upset as when those dreams burned.
I place a hand on her shoulder, but she pushes herself away. With her eyes still focused on the destruction, she says passively, “I suppose I should be happy that no one was hurt. Everyone keeps saying that. We got every diner out and all my staff is accounted for. But does it matter? It feels as if I died in there as well.”
“We’ll rebuild it, Kimmy. I promise you that. I am going to find the guy who did this, and I am going to make sure he gets what he deserves.”
She bites her lip tentatively before saying, “I know that you don’t think I understand what goes on around here and with your life. You probably think I don’t know about Daddy’s line of work either. But I’m not stupid, Mack. That club of yours and Dad’s led to this. If anyone deserves to be punished, it should be you.”
“Don’t say that, Kim. If you know that, you also know that the only reason why you managed to get two restaurants open, attend the best culinary schools in the country, and get all the cheap labor available was because of me too. I never ask anything from you but a few free meals and you to be supportive.”
She turns towards me, her arms crossed before her chest. Though she is nearly a foot shorter than me, she resembles a marble statue, firm in her place. “Oh, I understand that too. And I want to take it all back. Every bit of it. You can have each restaurant, and I’ll pay you back. If this is what your money gets, then I’d rather scrimp and save and live on the street than be a part of it.”
“I am just doing what our dad wanted me to do. I am taking care of you the best damn way I know how.” Anger pulsates through me at her ungratefulness.
Kimmy sighs as she replies, “You did what Daddy wants, but what about Mom? Did you forget about her too? Do you think she would want you to follow in Dad’s footsteps? She’d want you to settle down and cut this shit out.”
“I’m doing what I was taught to do.”
“Then stop and be a real man. Take care of your actual business. You got a girl there that loves you and cares for you, and all you are doing is destroying her world.”
“You don’t understand what you’re talking about,” I shoot back defensively. Both of us look over to Anna who has gotten down into a squat to examine an overturned brick. She is talking on the phone, her mouth covered as if in even more shock she cannot fully register.
“I may or may not, but I know when you’re hurting more than helping, and that girl is really hurting.” I feel my sister’s hand on my arm, turning me back towards her. “I want you to be happy, just as you want me to. You do what you need to do, but don’t do it at the expense of her. She didn’t ask for any of it.” Kimmy kisses me lightly on the cheek and lets go of her grip on my arm. She spots one of her workers, still dressed for dinner service, and heads towards him, her arms outstretched for a hug.
I look back towards Anna. Tears are streaming down her face now as she looks frantically towards the crowd. For the first time, I’m seeing the real Anna, the Anna that isn’t just the no nonsense tattoo artist or the great partner in bed. I am seeing the Anna that needs something more than what I can give her.
I force my feet to move, my boots to take heavy steps on the ashy sidewalk. I inch towards her until she finally spots me. Anna comes barreling towards me, her mouth whispering words I can’t make out until she is in my arms. “It’s my mom, Mack! She’s… she’s…” I lift her chin upwards towards me to force her to take a breath. “She’s in the hospital! She had a heart attack!”
“What?” I can barely understand this. A fire and now her mom?
“She called me earlier and left this voice message. I didn’t see it until a few moments ago when the doctors called. She was upset and nervous. I could barely understand her, she was talking so fast. There was something about guys on motorcycles circling the house. She was nervous and upset… and now a heart attack?”
I pull out my phone, checking for any messages from the guys assigned to her. “There’s no word from the guys. That’s strange. They should have messaged me if she needed help or if there was sign of Riley’s guys. Something’s wrong here.” My pulse begins to tick faster. I start to notice that I am only one of a few of my guys around despite calling them nearly a half hour ago for an all-club status meeting.
I look down to Anna, unsure of what to do. “I have to go. I need to figure out what is going on with the club. My guys might be in trouble.”
“Your guys? What about my mom? I need to get to the hospital to see her, Mack.” She places her hands on my arms, holding me in my spot. Her eyes dart back and forth between mine, searching for some kind of confirmation that I will help her.
I shake my head and peel her off of me. “No. No, Anna. We can’t go there. If they know she’s in the hospital, they will find her and be waiting for you there. It’s too risky. We need to get you back to the safe house without them noticing you. When it’s clear and we figure out where the club is, we’ll get you to the hospital. Until then, you’re staying put.”
“You can’t force me to stay put, Mack!” she cries out. “This is my mom we’re talking about! She’s the only person in the world I have, and I have to be with her. She needs me!”
“And I need you to be safe. Do you hear me? You’re not going anywhere.” I grab hold of her arm and drag her towards the cop car where Detective Joey is still talking into the receiver. I open the back door to the patrol car and push her inside. “Stay there,” I command her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Mack? I can’t just bring some girl down to the stat—”
“Shut the fuck up and listen to me.” I give the detective the address to the safe house Anna has moved into. My hand slips a few hundred bills into his pants pocket, making sure his silence remains. When I’m done giving instructions, I tell him, “If you want more, you get her home and you make sure she stays there until one of my guys tell you to go. They’ll wear the patch. No patch, no pass. You call me if something comes up or she tries to get out.”
“What about the statement? What the hell am I going to tell my boss?”
“Tell him I’m not cooperating. I don’t give a shit what you have to say. Right now, I need to handle club business, and then I’ll give you all the information you want from me.” I push him on the back towards the driver’s seat, forcing him my way. He grunts and grabs the door, flinging it open in frustration.
Seconds later and I’m watching his car drive on by past the fire trucks and crowds of curious onlookers. Anna stares at me through the back window, her face full of grief and rage. She won’t forgive me for this, I know that now. How could anyone forgive another for keeping them away from their family in need? There’s nothing I can do to make up for this.
All that Kimmy has said to me is true. I am hurting her, but I’m hurting her because I have to. If I could give her a normal life where we would go hand in hand to her mother’s hospital room with flowers and balloons, I would. But instead, I’m sending her in the opposite direction in the back of a getaway police car with little hope that she would ever escape from Riley or me.
I go for my phone again, relieved that there are some messages popping in from various guys with excuses on why they’re not running to my call. Normal stuff—no ride, wife at work, etc. But then a message comes through that tells a completely different story: Ambushed at 11th Ave. Shots fired at us. 3 of ours hurt bad. Running to Doc. Where’s the rest?
Another followed moments later in response: Hit from the rear at the Fireside Bar. Two guys wearing ski masks with knives. Managed to take one down, but sliced up pretty bad. Headed to Doc’s now with Aaron and Tay. What’s the status?
My message box became a floodgate of more of the same stories, but I couldn’t concentrate on any of them. I only had one thought on my mind: Riley!
This isn’t just an isolated attack on Anna and me. I’ve fallen into a battle that I didn’t even know was going on around me. While I was so distracted by the clouds of smoke and the police cars, Riley was busy calling his troops out to hunt down my men and take them out one by one when they were off their guard or getting ready to fly to headquarters to support me. He found their vulnerability and played it perfectly. I have to give him credit for that.
Calls to my captains confirmed it. My on-call doctor, a retired MD looking for some cash here and there, had his home full of my guys suffering from gunshots, road scars, and stab wounds. There were twenty hurt in total, a good quarter of my guys. The rest of them were accounted for, but they were laying low or dealing with clean up situations if they managed to take down their attacker.
I had no choice but to head out to Doc’s house and hold my meeting there with the guys conscious enough to talk to me. I sent the address to the few newbies still out on the road untargeted and bitch out the ones too chickenshit to step a foot outside their door. No one is allowed to be afraid tonight. We have work to be done.